i cant claim fantastic success, but I tend to flip this around. rather than say ' i want to learn to do x', i just start trying to do x and figure it out. obviously thats not very effective.

but when I do start to read the canon, everything makes so much more sense. pleased at having extracted some useful hints I go back to screwing everything up, but a little better this time..and repeat.

that means that i've wasted alot of time doing things the wrong way, but after that*, insight happens in a flash.